marjaerwin

Web pages are often inaccessible.

Browsers are usually built to display web pages as designed, so they enable inaccessibility instead of enabling users to safely browse.

Bug report systems such as bugzilla tend to downplay page-specific issues and refer users to projects like webcompat.

They also ask users to self-harm by testing the behavior without safety tools, in so called quote “safe” unquote mode, or with a so-called quote “clean” unquote profile.

Webcompat report systems are not accessible, and besides, they are intended to make sure all browsers display each web page just as sado-standard-istically as every other browser, so they don’t address accessibility.

They also ask users to self-harm by testing multiple browsers.

I am not a programmer. I don't know what the ideal infrastructure would look like. But it had better prioritize accessibility.

So standard keyboards are way too big to operate with 1 hand. Going back and forth across that width is a recipe for rsi.

And 1-handed keyboards are way too dependent on key combinations. Also way too expensive.

So mini or compact keyboards can be a good compromise.

But lately there’s a tendency to remove navigation keys or even punctuation keys, and require function + arrow for navigation, or function + letter for punctuation.

And in the 1st place, function is at the far end of the keyboard, so you’d need to go back-and-forth across the full width, slowing typing, and causing rsi.

And in the 2nd, on some keyboards like Logitech ones, it doesn’t even work.

And in the 3rd, on some it does theoretically work, but somehow doesn’t support sticky keys. Are people supposed to bring a clamp to hold it down or something?

There comes a point where inaccessibility looks like deliberately taunting people for their accessibility needs, instead of simply overlooking their needs.

Migraine warning for the link:

https://2020census.gov/en/contact-us.html

I can't attach the screen shot, but “There are several ways that you can contact the U.S. Census Bureau for support. For general questions: Visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, or call 301-763-INFO (4636) or 800-923-8282. For information on services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing: Call the TTY number at 800-877-8339 to reach the Federal Relay Service.”

P.S. Yes, this could be a result of applying Section 508 standards without thinking about them, but still…

So one of the most distinctive features of the Germanic languages is Grimm's sound shift. Among other changes, it's why (for example) Latin P often corresponds with English F, Latin T with English Þ, Latin C with English C, Latin Qu with English Wh, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimm%27s_law

At times I've thought that the shift happened in the Roman period. Because the Cimbri and Teutones, whom Marius defeated in the 2nd century BCE, are often supposed to be Germanic peoples, possibly from Jutland, and their names don't show any such shift. And because the Chatii, Cheruscii, etc. who lived in what's now Germany in the 1st Century CE, are Germanic peoples and their names appar to be mid-shift.

Anyway, ran across the same theory elsewhere online.

I am not a linguist, but I am pretty sure it's wrong. Because the Germanic languages borrow a lot of political and military vocubulary from the Celtic languages, and these don't show the shift, so they must have borrowed these after the shift. And they probably borrowed these during periods of Gallic hegemony, rather than Roman hegemony. The most prominent example is perhaps Gallic rix, "ruler," yielding for example Gothic reiks rather than *reihs. D.H. Green notes Gallic celicnon, "tower," which yields Gothic kelikn, rather than *helihn.

Like a lot of existing laws, it won’t be enforced against violent groups on the right, and will be abused against non-violent groups on the left.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/01/a-domestic-terrorism-law-cant-solve-right-wing-violence.html

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-polices-tepid-response-to-the-capitol-breach-wasnt-an-aberration/

P.S. It’s unlikely any new law would touch the president. Some other attackers can face murder charges or other felony charges under existing law.

I've been pondering the strength and overall organization of the Late Roman Army. Warren Treadgold argues that the expansion and the split between field and frontier forces occurred in the reign of Diocletian. Others such as AHM Jones argue that they came later.

Zosimus reports figures for the strengths of the armies of Constantine and Maxentius in 312, and Constantine and Licinius in 324. These are too high to account for the field armies alone. These seem to refer to the total strengths, field and frontier, of 4 different armies, and then the heavier naval forcees, and then the lighter ones. They add up to 645,000 personnel, and Agathias also reports 645,000 in the old Empire.

Treadgold suggests that Zosimus has dug up figures for Constantine, Maxentius, Licinius, and Maximinus Daia in 312, and has creatively reinterpreted them as strengths for Constantine, and Maxentius, in 312, and Constantine again, and Licinius, in 324. But this gives Maxentius by far the largest army. My suspicion had been that there were permanent field armies, of around 130,000 people total, hat these were grouped with the Praetorian Guard, and that Zosimus had assigned them all to Maxentius because of that.

In this list, Zosimus gives Maxentius 188,000 people. Zosimus elsewhere gives Maxentius 120,000 people, and the Panegyrici Latini gives him around 100,000. So it's likely that this list overstates Maxentius's strength in some fashion.

But Jones and other historians make clear that the basic distinctions in Diocletian's reign were between the legions and vexillationes, on one hand, and the old auxiliaries, on the other. There aren't enough Praetoriani, Lanciarii, Scolae, Comites, etc. to account for 130,000 people on the, uh, other other hand.

It seems most likely that Zosimus's figures refer to the forces of Crispus, Constantine I, Constantine II, and both Licinius I and Licinius II.

Yes, Constantine II was only 8 years old. I guess his father wanted his son to get an early start, and trusted his aides to offer good advice.

This solution to the "problem of Zosimus" leaves the problem of the organization of the Late Roman Army between Diocletian and Constantine completely unsolved.

I realize I need to avoid dogs, because of my allergies, but I also need to avoid my panic attacks around them. I got out a couple of the Tintin books and plan to start reading them again.

Okay.

I don’t feel like I have enough hours to do what I want to do. Which makes it hard to relax, easy to stay up too long, hard to get enough sleep, and can trigger brain fog and migraines, which makes it even harder.

Instead of focusing on specific migraine triggers, I’ve started writing up a list of things I’m either having trouble doing, or get very frustrated doing. Like cooking. And research. And writing.

Also a list of projects I’d like to prioritize, just a couple dozen, and others I’ll probably put off.

My next appointment is early in January, I may bring this up then, they may have useful ideas.

In the meantime, I’m tempted to trim a lot of my gripe posts here and on my blogs.

So I’m losing the use of both shoulders. Which hurts and really gets in the way.

I have a referral to see a sports medicine specialist about these injuries.

I can’t do that online, because of website issues, so I have to do that by pain call.

I then try to schedule the taxi. But it’s not letting me complete the form. And it’s got strobing web bugs and embedded Google Migraines, so if I try to scroll the page it often punches me with the painmigraine pain. I hate Google Migraines.

I have to go to technical support with another pain call. It turns out the place isn’t in their database, so no trips allowed.

I have to cancel the appointment I’ve just scheduled.

So apparently an economist with Deutsche Bank has noted that people tend to save money by working from home-- and has proposed to tax those who exceed a certain income and choose to work from home.

Now how do they save money?

Mainly because they’re not using as much gasoline, electricity, etc. They’re not using the roads, creating congestion for other people on the roads. They’re not using the rail lines, if available. They’re not causing as much environmental, infrastructural, and just plain hassle damage.

Of course some people can’t work from home.

But because of the above, when poosible, it should be made more possible, not less.

At higher incomes, you’re not going to have many disabled people, but if extended to lower incomes, that’s yet another crip tax on those disabled people who can’t drive, can’t bike, and can’t use inaccessible bus systems. Or can’t work in inaccessible worksites.

And it’s a time tax while people commute.

What next? Tax people who save money by not having cars? by not rolling coal?

Someone is using giant flashing ads on their vending machines. I think it’s the state lottery. I want to contact my state representatives about this.

Unfortunately, when I enter my address into the statehouse’s search tool, I get an animated zooming map, and 2 possibilities. My apartment is behind one of the op-ups, so if I want to check the boundaries in detail, I have to scroll over, and … as usual, scrolling triggers more painzooming painimation instead of scrolling.

The accessibility contact info isn’t accessible either.

I did find a contact email for the webmaster, so that’s step 1.

So I've got an appointment to see an occupational therapist to see if she can help with my sensory issues.

Because the transportation website has been down, I've had to make another pain call to schedule. But because it's now too late, since I've been trying to get through the website, I can't schedule. So I'm in a lot of pain from that failed pain call, and I have to reschedule my appointment again. Guess what, even though they're working with patients with sensory issues, they only allow scheduling or rescheduling by pain call. So I'm in even more pain because of the reliance on pain. I've got a splitting earache in my right ear. Now the garbage truck has come and fired its own painbeaters. And I've still got to make another pain call to try to schedule the damned transportation. I am thoroughly sick of having to put myself through so many pains for so many things!

Trying to claim either that it was self-defense, because protesters tried to disarm him after he’d already killed once,

or that it was justified because of something about the victims.

These Trumpists are encouraging other people, even children, to commit their genocidal fantasies. If anything, leading a kid to kill is worse than doing it yourself.

If you’ve read their *Turner Diaries*, some of them don’t just fantasize about killing half this country, some of them fantasize about taking the nuclear stockpiles and using them to kill most of the world.

How long until some people start mounting strobe lights in their own eyes... and continue punishing people for avoiding eye pain?

I already keep encountering strobe lights mounted on:

* flashlights,

* ambulances,

* post trucks,

* school buses,

* police cars,

* all cars in the form of turn signals and hazard lights,

* crosswalk lights,

* road safety signs,

* fire alarms, paired with incapacitating noise,

* the department of motor vehicles offices, which handles other identification too,

* doctors’ offices, in the form of painscreens firing news channels,

* advertisements,

* vending machines,

* holiday signs,

* occasionally even shoes...

So some people already mount them in a lot of inconceivably bad places.

I’m not in the District of Columbia, or in Portland so don’t know all the details. There’s a good overview here:

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2020/07/20/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-battle-of-portland/

But Trump and Barr have forced federal police and paramilitary forces into a task force-- “Pactforce”-- and deployed them into Portland, and are threatening to do the same in Chicago, Albuquerque, and other cities. [P.S. Also Seattle.]

In the District, they used thrown bottles, etc. as a pretext to attack protesters, and reporters, and Episcopalian clergy, for his bible photo op outside the Episcopalian church.

In Portland, they’ve used “violent” graffiti as a pretext to attack protesters, and medics.

I think at least 1 reporter was hospitalized and lost an eye from Trump’s violence in the District, and at least 2 protesters have been hospitalized from his violence in Portland.

So they have created a task force for this violence. And the use of generic uniforms without badge numbers, rental cars, rental vans, etc. helps evade accountability. And with groups such as the Proud Boys active in Portland, how are people supposed to know if federal police and paramilitaries are attacking them, or other groups?

I am too disabled to protest these days, but I need to do something about this, so I am trying to speak out.

Now I’ve encountered a few rationales for this violence--

That they needed to enforce a curfew. In the District, at Lafayette Park, they attacked well before curfew. And no curfew is worth maiming people.

That some protesters threw bottles, fruit, etc. So we can’t expect police forces, who screen applicants, can fire people, etc. to police their own. But we have to expect protesters, who come as they are, to do so? No. If it only takes one person to throw a bottle to excuse violence against the rest, someone who opposes the protests can show up, throw a bottle from the back, run, and have the police put down the protest. Especially when protests criticize police or police unions.

That some protesters oppose fascist violence.

That the left have wanted right-wing death squads all along, and we’re finally getting what we asked for. I mean what the frak?

There are plenty on the right who wanted right-wing death squads, but hardly any on the left. For example, many right-wingers use iconography of dropping people from helicopters, or still “joke” about them. Pinochet’s death squads did that.

*headdesk*

I object to sentencing people to up to 10 years based on people’s ethnicity, political views, or willingness to speak out against your tyranny.

And to the language of announcing that *because you’re announcing that.*

Fuck you, tyrant.

“We are looking at long-term jail sentences for these [V]andals, [an ethnicity] hoodlums, anarchists [political beliefs] and agitators [willingness to speak out]. Some people don’t like that language, but that’s what they are: bad people. They don’t love our country, and they’re not taking down our monuments,” he said. “I will have an executive order very shortly, and all it’s really going to do is reinforce what’s already there but in a more uniform way.”

Here’s Tom Cotton, a united states senator, demanding that the army execute dissidents:

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1267459561675468800.html?refreshed=yes

Here’s James Sode, whoever he is, in the comments to this article:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/de-escalation-keeps-protesters-and-police-safer-heres-why-departments-respond-with-force-anyway/

But Trump insists that those of us who oppose fascism are the real terrorists.

P.S.

Also Matt Gaetz defaming anti-fascists, and calling for murder:
image

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1267615035767107586.html?refreshed=yes

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/de-escalation-keeps-protesters-and-police-safer-heres-why-departments-respond-with-force-anyway/

It's well worth studying Seattle, since those protests were well documented and many of the police and accountability review committee records are online at the City Archives. Unfortunately many protester accounts are lost, but some are available from the University of Washington WTO History Project or from the organizers' history project.

Some mistaken info, some slurs.

http://archives.seattle.gov/digital-collections/index.php/Detail/collections/432

https://www.seattle.gov/archive/wtocommittee/default.htm

Note that the radio recordings show that the police were firing less-lethal munitions by 8:40, while the panel 3 report puts that at about 10:00.

http://depts.washington.edu/wtohist/interview_index.htm

https://www.shutdownwto20.org/shutdownwto20

The protesters were bolder than in many other protests, but there were still negotiations for mass arrests. The police cancelled these due to staffing and budget constraints, and tried to rely on less-lethal weapons instead.

As a general impression from studying Seattle and later protests, and from local experience in DC anti-war protests, there was federal pressure to crack down and try to punish whole protest movements. Regardless of how that affects any single protest. So that led to overwhelming violence on the 2nd day in Seattle, and in Miami, and widespread infiltration and entrapment at St. Paul.

If not miracles, then a series of mighty strange coincidences helped me transition.

So I do think miracles happen.

But I look around, and there's no sign of a single plan. People who don't need miracles sometimes seem to get them, and people who need them often don't get them. I can only conclude there are many limited beings. I suspect they're as puzzled as we are.

If someone’s just been chased by dogs, is cornered by 3 dogs including yours, is backed against a fence with a fall, and a road behind that, is screaming in fear, and is begging begging you to please stop, maybe you could STOP?

Profile

marjaerwin

May 2025

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

Syndicate

Page Summary

Style Credit

Style: Neutral Good for Practicality by timeasmymeasure

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated Jul. 3rd, 2025 03:18 pm

Recent Entries

We Need Infrastructure for Web Accessibility...

Mini Keyboards Shouldn't Require 2 Hands

(no subject)

Grimm's Sound Shift came before the Roman Hegemony

A Domestic Terror Law Would Make Things Even Worse

The strength of the Late Roman Army.

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

What a stupendously bad idea!

(no subject)

(no subject)

So a lot of Trumpists are praising the killer kid

How long until some people start mounting strobe lights in their own eyes...

The job of the paramilitaries is not to preserve disorder. It is to create disorder.

Yes, I do object

Trumpets calling for mass murder

Response to 538's De-Escalation

(no subject)

Hey! Dogkeepers!

Profile

May 2025

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags